No one's Ever Let You Down
by HotChilliGriffin
Summary: Finding the perfect woman isn't hard. It's getting rid of her that's the problem. *Co-written with Somebody's Dark Angel.* M-rated for adult themes and limited bad language. Three-shot, complete.
1. Beautiful Girl

**No-one's Ever Let You Down:**

**Beautiful Girl**

Tyler frowned, and glanced at the display of his mobile phone. Monday; 10:53. More than twenty minutes late. She was usually quite punctual. Drumming his fingers on the small, round table, he resisted the urge to pull his laptop out of its leather bag. He had four days to write up a cost benefit analysis for the ING job, as well as a recommendation as to whether to go ahead with the Westpac system change. The latter wasn't so much a decision; more having to write the negative in a way that wouldn't have him kicked off the case. He'd seen it happen before – skilled developers, shoved sideways for daring to tell the truth.

Busy scowling, he didn't hear the faint footsteps of someone walking up behind him. A light kiss on his cheek brought him out of his reverie, and he blinked, smiling softly.

"Hey gorgeous," he murmured sadly, taking in her appearance. She was wearing a loose-fitting blue-green top, and his first thought was that it perfectly matched her eyes. Two modest hoop earrings were partially hidden by a shoulder-length wave of rich brown hair, which swung gently as she sat down.

As always, the sight of her grinning at him was enough to throw him off balance, and he instantly forgot all about her timing.

"You didn't wait for me," she reproached, glancing pointedly his empty coffee cup. As if drawn by her displeasure, a waitress appeared.

"Usual?" she asked, receiving a nod and a smile in reply

Unable to think of what to say, Ty remained silent until the coffee was placed on the table**, **and he watched as his girlfriend of six months wrapped her fingers around the steaming cup. He felt unaccountably nervous. Now that she was here, his perfectly composed explanation seemed inadequate and harsh. But what else could he do?

Taking a deep breath, he gently touched her free hand. "Nikki... there's a reason I wanted to see you today."

He could see in her eyes the consternation his softly spoken words had created. For a moment, he hoped that she could guess what he was about to say, and would make it easier on him. Every moment spent with her was bliss, but those same moments were laced with poison. He was certain that he loved her, and he was just as certain that she was slowly pulling his mind apart.

"Is it Westpac?" she asked with wide, innocent eyes. "Did they ask for a replacement?"

Ty blinked. Damn it. Not only was she _not_ going to make this easy, she was going to do her best to make it hard. In one simple question she had highlighted how much she knew about him, and how much she listened to his concerns.

"No," he eventually replied. "Haven't even written the rec yet."

There was a tense pause, and Ty desperately tried to change the subject. "How's everything at the Navy academy?"

Nikki narrowed her eyes. "Please, Ty... what did you want to talk to me about?"

He swallowed. "I, uh, nothing. I just needed to see you."

"You saw me three days ago."

"And I missed you, the whole time."

'Missing' didn't even come close. She was his favourite drug, and whenever they were apart he was wracked by withdrawal symptoms.

***

If there was one thing he loved as much as Nikki Caetano, it was the world wide web. He himself had five different websites, and it was a part of his job to set up and manage the sites of dozens of fast-paced businesses.

The reports would have to wait just a little longer. Lost for ideas, he quickly typed "How to break up with girlfriend" into Google, wondering vaguely just how effective such a search would be. He was surprised – just a little – by the number of sites offering information. For lack of a better plan, he clicked on the first one.

The first paragraph did not make him feel any better. _"If you are considering breaking up with your significant other, then it probably means you aren't happy. And if YOU aren't happy, then SHE isn't happy. Unhappiness isn't healthy, and life is too short to stay in a situation like that."_

_How wrong you are_, he thought bitterly._ She's happy. She's very happy._ And Ty knew that he wasn't technically _unhappy_ – but this relationship was slowly tearing him apart. It certainly wasn't healthy.

"_To avoid getting into a lengthy discussion about how much you suck –"_ Ty paused midsentence. His love for the good ol' internet was steadily deflating. Refusing to respond to his first instinct and search "How to break up with the internet", he continued reading. The "Do Not" list was a lot more helpful.

"_What to do if you've been cheating on her..."_ Ty quickly scrolled down. Saying that he'd met someone else might be a good way of getting through to her; though in reality he'd been unable to look at another woman without subconsciously comparing them to his girlfriend. This train of thought was brought to a shuddering halt by a sentence in bold: _You owe her honesty._

He swallowed uneasily. _Comfort her if she cries?_ He knew his self control would shatter if a single tear appeared. He would hold her, and he would apologise, and... somehow he would take it all back and, so long as she still had him, she wouldn't care.

For a few minutes, he pondered that thought. Whatever he did, it seemed that she would take him back. Because he was utterly irresistible? Because she loved him too much to let him go? Or because…she needed to remain in control.

Closing his laptop, he leaned back and sighed. He'd known for weeks that she was slowly poisoning him, but the more time he spent with her, the more addicted he became. He could hardly say that she didn't give him space when he asked for it; she would stay away as long as he wanted her to. Never more than a week.

What would she have said if he'd persisted with the breakup? Would she have been angry? Upset? Or merely confident in the knowledge that he'd be back, that he wouldn't be able to stay away?

_Reports_, he reminded himself, but couldn't find the strength to begin. Maybe tonight he'd get started.

He had less than four days to get them done.

***

Make that three days. Ty blinked, and stared at the clock. The best thing about his job was the lack of an office or structured timetable, but now he wondered whether that was also a negative; there was nothing to motivate him. The steadily approaching deadline only served to vex him.

The morning had been spent behind the controls of his battered but trustworthy desktop computer, working on a personal project – a Tom-Clancy-style first-person shooter. For the first few months he had made good progress, coding the game using templates available from one of his favourite websites. Now, however, he had discovered an irritating bug, and while it would have made more sense to fix it after he'd finished the skeleton draft, some stubborn part of him insisted on dealing with it first.

He'd met a friend for a quick game of football after lunch, but had reluctantly returned home, knowing he needed to get two reports written by Friday. The game had been short, but fast-paced and his shirt was now clinging to his torso. Pulling it over his head, Ty made for the shower.

His bright green eyes stood out even from across the room; his tanned, unblemished skin enhancing the colour. He caught a glimpse of his face in the mirror as he shucked his pants; stubble roughened his cheeks and dark blonde hair hung roughly around his head.

Thinking about the two jobs, he tried to find a way of phrasing the Westpac recommendation. Honestly, he wanted to tell them, "Your system is fucked", but pissing off the manager of such an important client probably wasn't a good plan.

Feeling the cold water hit his back, he shivered. Another day gone. And he had a grim premonition it wasn't over yet.

***

Ty was so used to her coming and going as she pleased, Nikki's unannounced arrival that night wasn't really a surprise. Her strapless black and gold dress hugged her curves in a way that caused Ty to wonder, yet again, why exactly he wanted to leave this woman. Steeling himself, he knew that he couldn't put it off any longer.

"Nikki..." he began softly. Her nostrils flared slightly, as if she knew what he was going to say, but instead of protesting she merely fell back onto the lounge, revealing a fair bit of smooth leg in the process. Forcing his gaze away from the view, he was nearly undone by the look in her eye. Not worried or angry or upset... but predatory. She was gazing at him like he was a piece of raw meat and she a starving wolf.

Simply 'I'm breaking up with you' felt too harsh, so he tried to ease her into the conversation. "I'm worried that our relationship... isn't... doing so…well," he trailed off lamely.

She raised an eyebrow and crossed one leg over the other, waiting.

Unnerved by her lack of response, he hastily continued. "I... I'm no longer happy, and I don't think you are either, so to remain together is just going to hurt us both in the long run."

"You're trying to break up with me?" Nikki asked quietly, and from the expression on her face he would have assumed she was in pain; except for the 'trying' she had slipped in there.

"I _am_ breaking up with you," Ty said resolutely and quickly sat down. He'd done it. It was over.

Or not. Blue-green eyes glittering, she slowly rose to her feet and walked towards him. For a second he was worried she was going to slap him, then realised what she had in mind was much, much more fiendish.

"Are you sure?" she whispered, leaning down so that her breath caressed the side of his face.

He suddenly felt very hot. For a second she nibbled gently on his ear, then proceeded to leave a trail of kisses down the side of his neck. Unable to stop himself, he slowly lifted his hands, but she moved away before he could touch her.

"I suppose I'll just go then."

Without a backwards glance, she took the first step towards the door.

"No!" Ty croaked, his throat oddly dry. Pausing, she looked back at him, and he suddenly realised she had makeup on. She didn't need it, she was beautiful anyway, but the effect of a little eye shadow and lipstick was enough to cloud his mind as effectively as four tequila shots.

She smirked when she saw his reaction, moving closer and taking advantage of his position on the chair to sit astride him. Eyes widening, he searched for some way to stop her without driving her away entirely – despite the fact that that was exactly what he was trying to do.

"You weren't serious?" she asked, raising one eyebrow and softly bringing her lips down to his.

_One taste_, he promised himself. _A goodbye kiss..._

The instant he felt the contact, all remaining self control vanished. She tilted her head to the side, deepening the kiss as his hands came up to gently cup her breasts. For a moment, the feel of her lithe body in his arms was enough, but before long the craving to have all of her overwhelmed him. Frustrated by the feel of soft fabric, his fingers slid around to the back of her dress, searching. Before he could find the zipper – it wasn't where it normally was – Nikki was pulling away, and the scent of her had so intoxicated him that he instinctively followed her movements, leaning forward as she bent back.

He hadn't even realised his belt was undone until she stood up and used the buckle to pull him along the hallway behind her. Stopping in the doorway, she turned them around and latched her lips to his as she backed him into the bedroom. Her tongue traced over his teeth, leaving him so off balance that when she lightly pushed against his chest, he fell backwards onto the bed.

Expecting her to follow him down, he was confused when the familiar weight of her body remained absent. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, to see her standing at the end of the bed, the wolfish look back on her face. His arms reached out for her, but she merely stepped backwards, shaking a finger at him as if he was a naughty schoolboy.

"Nu-uh," she admonished, and Ty dropped his arms instantly, cursing her power over him. She grinned, a seductive combination of sultry and evil that caused him to swallow nervously.

The zipper of her dress was under her _arm_, he noted as he watched her draw it down slowly. She allowed the fabric to fall to the floor, and his mouth instantly went dry at the expanse of tanned skin now exposed to his gaze. Nikki wasn't the sort to wear fancy lingerie, but the sight of her simple strapless bra and black lace knickers still caused his heart to race.

Totally unselfconscious, she unsnapped her bra and dropped it beside her dress. The predatory look was back when she returned her gaze to him, her eyes raking over his shirt-clad chest with such intensity he was surprised the fabric didn't go up in flames. Unable to tear his eyes away as she stalked towards him, he barely noticed the door closing behind her, courtesy of one gold heel.

***

Afterwards, Ty sat in bed with the sheet wrapped around his waist, wondering why things had turned out this way. He had steeled himself for anger, denial, even the (remote) possibility of tears, but had never even imagined she would use her body to make him forget. Which, now that he thought about it with a somewhat-clear head, was pretty stupid of him. Nikki had never balked at the idea of seducing someone to get her way.

It was said that makeup sex was the best – indeed, Ty had experienced some pretty damn great sex after fighting with a girlfriend – but he had just learned that there was something better. Tonight's experience completely outstripped everything he'd ever experienced before, and from the way she had responded to his every touch and movement, he reckoned she would agree.

Turning his head, he stared at her sleeping form, knowing full well it was likely to be the last time he'd see her looking so relaxed and vulnerable. When she woke up she would either revert to the arse-kicking girl he loved or the poisonous seductress he…well he loved both sides of her. Yes, being with her was tearing him apart, but the thought of not being with her was equally heart-wrenching.

She lay on her stomach, arms under the pillow cradling her head, the sheet pulled tight across her hips. Dark lashes tickled her cheek, her makeup now little more than a smudge over each eyelid. Her chestnut hair fanned out over the pillow, and the a dark halo reminded Ty of an angel. His hand moved involuntarily, but he managed to stop himself before touching her bare back, not wanting to wake her.

As if she could feel his eyes on her, Nikki stirred, and the soft smile on her face caused him to wonder if she knew he'd been staring. She stretched her arms leisurely before rolling over, and he couldn't have torn his eyes away from her had he wanted to. His emerald green eyes moved slowly down her unmarked body, thrilled that she didn't squirm or attempt to cover herself like most girls would have.

"Hey," she murmured, and the throaty tone of her voice instantly caused him to jump to attention. He silently cursed his body for betraying him every single time she did anything.

He smiled and cupped her face with a palm, running a thumb over her cheek, even as he tried to stifle his reaction. In that moment he realised that, as much as he loved Nikki, he also hated her.


	2. Hell On Wheels

**No-one's Ever Let You Down:**

**Hell on Wheels**

_A new system would likely lead to better productivity. No time would be saved from the suggested system, however, so the cost of the implementation would not be covered by increased profits until the end of the next financial year. Keeping the original system would lead to loss of equilibrium. She would take over completely. She's poison – _

Ty broke off, realising that his cost analysis report had taken an unexpected turn. Growling softly, he deleted the offending lines. To leave time for the Westpac report, he needed to finish this today. He blinked hard, forcing himself to concentrate, and continued.

_Integration into the organisation would be extremely difficult. Increased costs would be required for employee training, further destabilising the feasibility of the suggested new system. Customer reaction is uncertain, depending solely on whether she accepts –_

Catching himself before he could begin a new tangent, Ty quickly corrected.

_...depending solely on whether the customer understands the new system and the benefits it produces. She won't accept it. No-one's ever had to break up with her before. I hate this fucking report._

Staring blankly at the screen in front of him, Ty wanted to scream.

"Hypothetical," he said to the laptop. "Which is harder? Writing reports, or breaking up with Nikki?"

A glance at the open document and he had his answer.

***

Nikki had mentioned several previous boyfriends, and he'd gleaned that those relationships had ended on her terms. But what sane man would _want_ to leave her? He wondered what they had done that had resulted in her calling it off; had she simply grown bored with them? Had they resisted her until she felt there was no reason to keep them?

Ty shivered slightly. He had always known she considered him her own elaborate sex toy, but he'd never cared…until now. Last night had proven her mere presence was enough to eradicate his self control.

And as amazing as she was, as brilliant as she was, he couldn't help but want out. He was scared, honestly scared of what would happen if he couldn't free himself.

She was already invading his work; if that continued, he'd never get these, or any subsequent reports, finished, and would eventually lose his job. He was good, but he wasn't fantastic – he worked for a fast-paced IT firm that wouldn't give him time to get it sorted if his results started to slip. Nikki didn't earn much, but he knew she would offer to support him until he got a new job – which would leave him in debt to her, and worse, even more dependent on her than he already was.

If he didn't get out now, he never would.

***

Breaking up over the phone – or worse, by text message or email – was considered cowardly and insensitive. Ty was beyond caring. He'd tried to do it 'properly'. He had brought it into the open, and stated firmly what he wanted. She had refused to accept it.

_You called her back_, a niggling voice pointed out, and he scowled. He had accepted her refusal to accept his decision.

But still – she had deliberately taken his attention away from his point, preventing him from officiating the break up. After all, he was only a man.

He pulled out his phone. _I meant what I said last night. This relationship isn't working. It's over, Nikki, I'm sorry. –Ty_

Adding his name to the end of the message was a sign of formality, and he knew she would recognise it. Hopefully she would get the hint. He paced the length of the hall several times as he waited desperately for her answer.

It was something he _had_ to do – but he knew that if she replied, conveying her acceptance, it would break him. If she wouldn't talk to him face-to-face, but agreed to end a six-month relationship via _text message_… Part of his sanity was riding on the fact that she wouldn't believe he was serious –

His phone warbled, and he fumbled anxiously with the unlock code, before bringing her message up on screen.

_I'm meeting my brother for lunch. We'll discuss this later._

He blanched. It was a thinly veiled threat, and he knew she had meant it exactly as it came across. Ty had only ever met one of Nikki's overprotective brothers, but she talked of them often enough for him to know they wouldn't take kindly to him breaking their sister's heart.

***

His body screamed for water. He would have screamed himself, if his throat hadn't been so desperately dry.

Desert. He was in a desert – Level 1.

A figure came into sight, standing on the horizon. For hours, he walked towards it, ready to beg for water, anything to quench his thirst. But for all his efforts, he felt no closer to the solitary figure, standing so confidently he knew they _must_ have water with them.

"Nikki," he croaked, falling to his knees. And just like that, he was there, looking up into her laughing eyes. In one hand she held a plastic bottle, and he could see the life-giving liquid sloshing around inside... Tempting him. Taunting him.

"Hey Tyger. What's wrong?" she asked, her tone almost mocking.

"Please," he whispered, and she slowly unscrewed the lid. "Nikki, please... I need... water..."

Smirking, she upended the bottle and he watched, horrified, as the parched earth quickly absorbed the moisture.

"No!" he yelled, eyes snapping open with a start.

Well if _that_ wasn't his subconscious giving him a boot. He had finished the ING report, not including the thorough edit he would have to apply – if just to make sure none of his frequent sarcastic retorts made it through to the final copy. Exhausted by his constant battle between work and Nikki, he had collapsed onto the lounge and fallen asleep.

He glanced at the clock. It was nearly five; he had another hour before he needed to leave. Nikki had called him earlier, stating that she had made dinner plans. He would have declined – not that she would have listened – but for the fact he was hoping to be able to talk to her without any risk of seduction, given the public area.

To kill some time, he opened his game-in-progress, and absently began to run through what he had so far, the dream still in his mind. He had the entire first level finished – now it was just the tedious task of creating another dozen and copying the same code to them, and then fixing all the inevitable bugs.

The graphics he made in another program, and he set about creating a three dimensional world that would pass as level two. With this sort of thing, he couldn't do a rough sketch and come back to it; the layout had to be complete before he could start coding the next level.

After a good hour's work he snapped back to reality, a thrill passing through him when he saw the clock.

He was supposed to be meeting Nikki in five minutes. Saving his progress, he pushed himself away from the computer and began to get changed; all in no particular hurry.

***

When Ty finally strolled into the restaurant he was more than twenty minutes late, and yet he felt a mild sense of accomplishment. It had always been him waiting for her, habitually early for every appointment that wasn't a work deadline. Grinning at his shoes, he mentally congratulated himself, then looked up – and almost flinched at the expression on Nikki's face.

Wearing a floaty white dress that defied gravity in order to hang from her shoulders, she was the complete opposite of yesterday's seductress. She looked like a disgruntled cherub, her features even more beautiful for the anger that had settled over them, and he cautiously moved closer.

The second he sat down opposite her she tapped her watch. "6:53. You were supposed to be here at 6:30."

Swallowing his nervousness, he spoke as nonchalantly as he was able. "I got caught up in work – finally finished the ING report." So far, so good. He'd not only been late to dinner, but he hadn't apologised for it; maybe he could do this after all.

Nikki wasn't a whiner, and thus Ty was unsurprised when she dropped the topic of his lateness to query his decision in the report. This was what made hating her so hard; she genuinely cared about him, was interested in his life, his work, his friends. She appeared to be the perfect girlfriend, and as he continued the conversation he struggled to remember why he wanted out.

Then she ran a foot up the inside of his leg at the same moment the waiter was taking their order. She didn't even look up when his voice cracked and his knee hit the table, merely withdrew her leg from his lap.

"I think Flynn's up to something," she said casually, as he tried to stop himself from wincing at the pain in his knee. "He was late for his lecture this morning. That's the third time this month."

Not entirely sure whether she was just making conversation, or whether that had been a sly reference to his own lateness, he just nodded slightly. She continued to chat quietly, and he fidgeted, wondering how he could readdress the subject of the breakup. He was incredibly relieved when their food arrived and she turned her attention to eating.

Ty had always loved her appetite; the way she never hesitated to clean her plate was a refreshing change from those women who wolfed down a salad and lusted after his steak for the rest of the meal. Nikki not only ordered her own steak, but also dessert – and it was this last he was having an issue with at the moment.

On any other date he would have loved the fact that she had chosen chocolate cake and was very obviously enjoying it; however the memory of the previous night was still running through his head, and now everything she did was a turn on. Was it really necessary for her to turn her spoon upside down and bring it out of her mouth _that_ slowly? Or to make those noises, so similar to the ones she'd made last night? He shifted in his seat, discretely adjusting his pants.

The last forkful was a little too big, and she was left with a smudge of chocolate clinging to her top lip. He pointed it out to her, and time slowed to a crawl as she licked it off. His entire focus was consumed by the tip of her tongue as it swept across her upper lip, smearing the chocolate stains, and again, when she didn't get it all the first time.

Even as he paid the bill and followed her out the door, the image was still replaying over and over in his head. He was glad he'd chosen to wear loose-fitting pants.

***

As soon as they set foot outside the restaurant Nikki announced that she felt like dancing and, without so much as a glance at Ty, stalked down the street. For a moment he debated letting her go alone; she was training to be a Navy officer, after all, she knew how to take care of herself. But then he caught a glimpse of that short white dress flying out as she turned sharply, and he couldn't let her out of his sight.

He caught her hand just before she entered the club, but she didn't even pause, just threw him a flirtatious smile and tugged him inside. The pounding beat of the music instantly caused a matching throbbing to take up residence in his head, and he held tight to Nikki's hand as she effortlessly steered them through the crowd. Her hand was abruptly ripped from his as the throng of bodies pulled them apart. Watching as her brown head moved closer to the bar, he elbowed his way through. He wasn't surprised to see that she already had the bartender's attention by the time he joined her at the bar, but for some reason she waited until he was pressed up behind her to actually place her order.

"I want a Screaming Orgasm." He instantly stiffened. Okay, maybe that was the reason. She turned to him, but he couldn't meet her eye. "What do you want, honey?"

The bartender smothered a smile as his latest customer ordered in a strangled voice, and Ty was grateful the man pulled his beer first – it gave him something to do with his hands other than drag Nikki into the bathroom and see how fast he could get her out of that angelic dress. Not that it helped much. His eyes were still dark with need and his stare was practically piercing her skin.

As she reached out her hand to take the proffered drink someone bumped into her, and it was only her Navy reflexes that prevented the glass from shattering on the beer tap. However it meant that two fingers ended up inside the glass, and his gaze was instantly drawn to the single drop of liquid tracing a path down the side of the glass, eventually puddling on the counter. Grasping the stem with her free hand, Nikki turned to face him, fingers still swirling in the creamy drink. She slowly extracted them and brought them to her lips, her rosebud mouth pouting around the two fingers. His mouth dropped open as she made a show of swirling her tongue around, the movement obvious from the slight bulge in her cheek.

When she finally pulled her fingers from her mouth a drop lingered on her bottom lip. He tried to point it out, but she was either oblivious or playing dumb, for it remained there, tantalising him. Unable to take it anymore, he grasped her head in his hands and crushed his lips against hers, tongue sweeping through her mouth to absorb every offending drop.

She melted against him for a moment, eagerly returning the kiss, but the second it slowed down into more loving than lustful she was pulling away, eyes sparkling with mischief. Leaning over him to take a sip of her drink, he was treated to a glimpse down the modest neckline of her dress before she turned her attention to the dance floor.

"No way." He shook his head vehemently, his too-long dark blonde hair whipping back and forth.

Not bothered by his refusal in the slightest, she merely shrugged and moved away. Ty couldn't tear his eyes away from her, but neither could he move off the stool without broadcasting his less-than-pure thoughts to the entire club. But as he watched her embrace the music he found that desire was quickly being overshadowed by another emotion. He narrowed his eyes, but death glares don't have much of an effect when the subject isn't facing you.

As soon as his attractive girlfriend had made her way onto the dance floor – solo – she had grabbed the eye of at least a dozen eager young men. And despite her refusal to accept the breakup, Nikki seemed to have no qualms about dancing with the two men brave enough to approach her.

Ty's knuckles turned white against his beer glass, his grip growing a fraction tighter every time a foreign hand touched his girlfriend. Startled by a voice behind him, Ty turned, and just managed to stop himself from throwing his beer at the barman.

"Easy there, mate!" The man leaned over the bar and seized the glass from Ty's fingers. "Don't take it out on the beer. How about I look after your drinks while you go rescue your lady from all that unwanted attention?"

"Unwanted. Right." The sarcasm was thick, accompanied by a roll of the eyes. For a moment he hesitated, gaze flickering between the smirking bartender and Nikki dancing against a guy who looked barely old enough to be admitted to the club. Then the stranger's hand grazed her arse, and Ty was halfway to the dance floor before his brain had registered the movement.

"Hey Tyger." She was wrapped around him the instant he moved close enough, her previous partner all but forgotten. Ty revelled in the dirty looks being cast his way for a minute, before turning his attention back to Nikki.

The music changed to something slower and she draped her arms around his neck. He wanted to pull her closer, but they were already as close as two separate people could be.

Even with heels the top of her head was below his eye level and, as his arms automatically circled her waist, he wondered how this diminutive creature could hold such power over him. Ty pressed a lingering kiss against her temple, letting his body sway alongside hers. The thumping in his brain now matched a familiar tension in his groin.

Dance music returned to the speakers all too soon for Ty's liking, and Nikki resumed using him as a human pole. If he didn't know better he would have thought she was drunk, the way she writhed against him, her every movement provocative. But he knew her tolerance for alcohol; the bottle of red wine they'd shared over dinner wouldn't have made her tipsy, let alone change her behaviour. This was all Nikki.

She was punishing him for the attempted break-up, showing him what he was trying to get rid of – as if he didn't already know. He could feel the eyes of all the single men – and those of many attached guys as well – on the two of them, the jealousy almost tangible in the hazy air. Oh yes, he knew exactly what he was giving up by ending things. He just didn't know if freedom was worth what he was losing.

But regardless of what he _intended_ to do, she was his for now. Catching her hand, Ty pulled her back to face him and cupped her chin in his palm, staring deep into her turquoise eyes before roughly pressing his lips to hers. She responded instantly, allowing him full access to her mouth, and he caught a taste of creamy cocktail. He didn't know whether it was remembering the name of her drink or what she had done to get the flavour in her mouth, but it was too much; a growl rumbled deep in his throat, and his self control snapped.

He manoeuvred them off the dance floor, continuing to plunder her mouth. The second his foot hit the carpet they were on their way to the door, his arm tight around her waist, practically carrying her across the room.

The next thing he knew he was pressing Nikki against his car, their mouths fused together once more. One lacy white sleeve finally succumbed to gravity, falling to brush against his arm, but they were too intent on one another to notice such trivial things. Or, Ty was.

They broke apart, panting breaths synchronised as their eyes locked. With a deft twist of her body, Nikki managed to reposition them so that it was Ty's back pressed against the car. He blinked in surprise, confronted by the predatory look he was becoming uncomfortably familiar with. She kissed him again, hooked a leg around his thigh, and unbuckled his belt as their tongues continued to battle. His left arm dropped from around her waist to trace along her exposed thigh, briefly flirting with the hem.

He closed his eyes, already anticipating the feel of her. Her wandering hands left him and he opened his eyes, but his brain was so clouded with lust it took him another few seconds to understand what the empty air meant. She was gone. A screech of tyres cut through the haze surrounding him, and he recognised Nikki's car speeding out of the parking lot.


	3. You Made Somebody's Heart Break

**No-one's Ever Let You Down:**

**You Made Somebody's Heart Break**

Despite two cold showers and a punishing workout, Ty's dreams were filled with Nikki, and he woke up exhausted. His head propped by on his palm, he sat at his desk and stared blankly at the open report. Ignoring the urge to give up on Westpac and start coding the second level of his game, he started writing random sentences in the hope that the words he needed would come to him.

It was due first thing tomorrow morning. He had twenty hours.

_Goddess of poison_, he wrote, and didn't bother deleting it. _Suggested system change would result in heartbreak. Recommend restarting the design stage._

He continued typing absently, his thoughts drifting from Nikki to the reports and back again. Half an hour later, his daydream was shattered by the ringing of his phone.

"Tyler Hughes," he said curtly, staring at the page he had written. Once he edited out the frequent references to Nikki, he might have a starting point.

"Ty mate, it's Davo. I got a friend, his daughter's doing some school project, hit a bit of a snag with her code..."

"Not a good time, Dave," Ty muttered, but his colleague continued.

"She's trying to call a sub, keeps getting a syntax error saying the argument isn't optional, and she says she hasn't _got_ any arguments in there –"

"Does she know what an argument _is_?" Ty asked, unable to help his mind bending to the challenge of the code.

"Apart from the one between her and the game? No."

Ty sighed, and began detailing an explanation.

And by the time he was finished, it was nineteen hours. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the screen again and tried to type.

_Arguments. Arguments with Nikki are __**hell**_.

***

Dave rang back a few minutes later.

"Ty, forgot, there was something actually important I rang to ask you."

"Yes, Dave?"

"There's a gaming firm hiring at the moment, they're looking for someone with experience and a bunch of other stuff, but Ty, mate, this thing would suit you _perfectly_. I know how much you hate these reports, this would mean no more of them –"

"Tell me more about the job," Ty said quietly, sitting up straighter. Anything to get away from the reports.

"Well, there's a few downsides, and I'm not sure you'd be able to apply through their site because they want a demonstration of your coding ability, and I don't know if you've got anything ready to be looked at –"

Ty's thoughts locked onto his game-in-progress; he had an entire level completed, bug free. He listened intently, as Dave slowly got around to the other negatives.

"...and there's quite a few people going for this, I think, maybe. Oh right, and I know Nikki's pretty settled here, but the job's in Sydney, it'd mean a major move. And I was talking to her the other week when you two came round, she _really_ isn't interested in leaving, so it'd probably be the job or her..."

Dave paused for breath, and Ty spoke before he could continue.

"Send me the info."

***

Ty found himself back at their usual cafe on Monday morning, and was unsurprised to see Nikki approaching from the opposite direction. They hadn't spoken since last Wednesday, yet upheld their standing breakfast date without any conscious agreement.

"How's work?" Nikki asked politely. She ordered a coffee, and Ty noticed that it wasn't her usual – the name of this one involved more syllables than he could count.

"Handed in the reports Friday," he said with a bright smile. Slightly taken aback by his demeanour, she nodded, and gestured for him to continue. "The analysis was accepted, so that's one client satisfied. And I was kicked off Westpac."

"You sound happy," she noted, utterly perplexed. Seeing the waitress coming with her coffee, she gently rested her foot against his leg, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, I am happy. Very happy."

He didn't elaborate, enjoying the rare feeling of superiority. If she wanted more information, she'd have to ask him outright. Even the feel of her toes probing his thigh couldn't distract him from his purpose this morning.

"What did you tell them?" she asked.

Instead of answering her question, he deferred, letting out a slow sigh.

"Nikki, there's something we need to talk about."

She gave a slight roll of her eyes, as if thinking _'__Not this again__'_, but didn't do anything to stop him.

"I've been offered a new job. Working for a gaming company in Sydney. The pay's better, the work feels better, and they contacted me only a _day_ after I submitted my application." Her hand, returning a serviette to her plate, froze. Almost unnecessarily, he added, "I accepted."

And she was momentarily silenced. But that was okay. She didn't need to talk, just listen. For once, _she_ was going to listen.

"Nikki, this is my golden opportunity. I've wanted something like this for _years_. Now…now that it's here, I have to take it." The next words he said with a certain relish. "I'm moving to Sydney."

Her eyes burned dangerously as she watched him, and he mentally prepared himself for the explosion. Instead, she finished lowering the serviette to the table and sighed.

"Ty, I'm not going with you. I've met someone else."

And with that, his entire world imploded.

Someone else? Other than him? She was having an affair? _She_ was...

"I see. Well, it's up to you," he muttered.

She gazed at him pityingly. "I'm sorry, Ty, but you weren't being very good to me, all this talk of _breakups_ and _poison_ and... anyway, he's at ADFA with me, his name's Craig. Nothing's happened yet, but there's somethingbetween us, and we'd both like the chance to explore it."

And he suddenly understood. She hadn't been willing to let him go until she had a replacement. Her old toy was worn and scratchy. Now she had something shiny and new to keep her entertained.

"I think, considering everything, it would really be best if we went our separate ways," she said, the perfect blend of apology and finality in her voice. "I wish you all the best for Sydney."

Ty nodded, unable to help the tearing feeling in his chest as she stood up. He'd thrown away the best woman he could ever hope for. Maybe there were worse things than being a down trodden sex toy in a miserable job with no way of achieving his dreams. He may have just made the worst decision in his life.

Snorting, he stood up. Maybe, just maybe.

"Hope you and Greg have fun, then," he said politely, and began to walk away. He felt a moment of pity – not for himself, and certainly not for her, but for any and every man who would try to win Nikki in the future. Maybe they would do better than he had.

"You never said, what did you say to Westpac?" she called after him, and he had to smile at her curious streak. She'd watched him struggle with this report for over a month, and wouldn't let the last chapter of such a story go unread.

He licked his lips nervously before turning back to her. She looked like a pouting goddess, wide eyes completely innocent. But he knew better.

"I told them – and I quote – "Go back to the design stage, your system is fucked."


End file.
